In order to fill the vacuum created by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III has succeeded the late Queen of England.
He described her death as a moment of great sadness.
Charles, 73, had been next in line to the throne for seven decades, by a distance the longest wait in the history of the British monarchy.
In a statement on Thursday, the new king described his mother’s death as a moment of great sadness, but said he was comforted by the deep love the whole world had for the late queen.
“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of great sadness for me and all members of my family.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt through the country, the realms, and the commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the queen was so widely held.”
Earlier in the day, the palace put out a worrying statement about the queen’s health, indicating that not only had family members been notified, but that she would remain at Balmoral where she remained comfortably under medical supervision
However, concerns for her health had be a regular anxiety for the Royal Family and the palace. Earlier this week she was forced to postpone her Privy Council meeting after doctors recommended she rested.
Charles, as the queen’s eldest son, now inherits the sovereign title and job as head of the commonwealth, along with other assets such as land and property.
In the past, the queen expressed desire for Charles to take over the Commonwealth. “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” she said in 2018 after he was unanimously voted to be the next head.
Charles, 73, has waited decades to become king and is the longest-serving heir in British history, according to the Washington Post.
He is the eldest of four children born to the queen and her late husband, Prince Philip. When his mother assumed the throne at age 25, he became Britain’s heir apparent at age 3. Charles’s titles include Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick.
